Kingsglaive - Survival
by ChikadeeDoodaDay
Summary: ""Fine," Pelna repeated thoughtfully, a little bit of a smile tugging at his lips as Nyx huffed in his general direction, focusing on dragging his aching body along beside Pelna, "We are removing 'Fine' from your vocabulary."" An alternative take on Kingsglaive in which Pelna and Nyx survive the Fall of Insomnia, and these two are a beautiful bromance waiting to happen.
1. 1 Hearth And Home

**Disclaimer: These wonderful characters do not belong to us, but SquareEnix. We do, however, have a jolly good time playing with them ;)**  
 **A/N: Hia all! So this is our first time venturing into the world of Kingsglaive (in published work anyways) so hopefully its good and can give you all some enjoyment. This story was inspired when I was talking to Cheskit about how different things would be if our dear Nyx Ulric had survived using the Ring, and also if dear Pelna hadn't been murdered so nastily by that horrible squid. SO! Without further ado, I pass you over to Cheskit, ;) R &R!**

 **Hello my little hatchlings~ Cheskit here, Chapter one was written 99% by the amazing Truthy. I have claim to 5 sentences haha, so enjoy and leave a review!**

Survival

Chapter 1

For Hearth And Home

Nyx had harbored an uneasy feeling about this mission from the moment it began. Even though he had been the one to all but demand that the King should send them after Lady Lunafreya, and the Nifflehiem warships, a pit had been growing in his stomach, a churning ball of restless distrust that seemed to grow by the second.

Perched upon a small section of piping in the Niff' warship, he held his breath as an MT passed by underneath him, staying deadly still and waiting until the enemy was well out of hearing before he lifted a hand to press the piece in his ear, "Hold position," Even though the MT was long gone down the hall, he still kept his voice low, pressing his earpiece again to change frequencies.

"Arrived at destination, high possibility of target in the vicinity." He reported, pulling the watch from his pocket and looking down at the numbers, another confirmation on his theory.

Swinging his legs around, he hung from the pipes for a moment before dropping soundlessly to the ground, grey eyes swinging up and down the hall to ensure there were truly no hostiles in the area, before lifting to his earpiece again.

Drautos' voice came through loud and clear, the sound seeming almost too loud, "Proceed to secure."

Nyx shrunk back against the wall, eyes constantly roving the halls around him, "It's going to need a fight." He relayed, waiting almost impatiently for Drautos' reply.

"Keep it quiet, and keep it confined." There was resignation in his Commander's voice, but Nyx paid it little mind as he turned and began a quick pace down the hall.

"Pelna, you're clear to engage; but keep it quiet. I'm on my way." That said, he broke into a run, the feeling of...wrongness, only seeming to intensify.

"Target confirmed," He had been waiting for, hoping for, the words, but a small jump still ran through his frame when Pelna's voice carried over the comms, "She's unharmed."

Relief flooded his mind, but it was short lived, Luche's familiar tone soon breaking through the silence, aside from the pounding of his feet, "Things are about to get ugly over here."

Cold realization slammed into him with all the force of a chocobo, the shock to his system enough to stop him in his tracks. It was a trap. Of course it was a trap. Anger flooded his veins, followed shortly by panic as he knocked back his hood, stealth abandoned, and all but shouted into his earpiece.

"Pelna! Get out of there, it's a trap!" There was no response, and panic flared in his chest, adrenaline giving speed to his body as he raced down the deserted hallways.

He should have known it was a trap. Should have known the moment they set foot inside the vessel and met no resistance whatsoever. That should have been his cue. An angry growl slipped through his teeth as he tore past an empty junction, the next only a few meters away.

All but sliding around the corner, his eyes alighted on a familiar uniform, as well as striking blond hair. Pelna turned as soon as he heard the pounding footsteps, a grin arcing across his face.

"One Tenebr-"

He never finished the sentence as Nyx grabbed his arm and yanked him forwards, away from the arcing tentacle threatening to crush them both. Lunafreya let out a startled gasp, cowering away from the monster before Nyx grabbed her forearm and bodily propelled her in front of him.

"Pelna!" The man recovered from his shock quickly, falling into a dead sprint behind the two, and so the chase began.

The Daemon chased them across what felt like the entire ship, never falling more than a few meters behind them. A mighty explosion rocked the vessel, sending all three runners tumbling to the ground. Casting a glance behind him, Nyx scrambled to regain his feet, the monstrous creature slithering towards them rapidly.

"Go, go go!" He prompted, hauling Luna to her feet and pushing her in front of him.

They finally lost the creature when the wide hallways gave way to a smaller archway, which in turn led to a catwalk above the ship's engines. Sprinting across the rattling pathway, Nyx glanced back to see Pelna close on his heels, a feeling of relief sweeping over him at that.

It was short lived, however, when another wave rocked the warship, only this time there was no accompanying explosion; not from within the ship anyway. Lurching towards the high windows that lined the catwalk, Nyx felt complete, encompassing shock fill his being at what he saw.

The Wall was falling, an explosion so large it could be seen from this distance engulfing the top of the palace as the Wall shattered and fell in a thousand glass pieces.

"No…" The word was little more than a whisper, falling from his lips before he could stop it. Insomnia couldn't fall, not now. Not after everything.

He had little time to dwell on the crisis in the city, however, as an explosion erupted through the ground beneath their feet, fire licking through the engine room as one of the main turbines exploded in a blast of heat and flames.

Surging forwards, the trio broke for a way out, the ship tilting precariously to one side as they did. Slipping through a small doorway, they emerged on another catwalk above more engines, sprinting for the other side until the floor exploded from underneath them.

Lunafreya disappeared over the edge, Nyx's grip on stable footing slipping out from underneath him as he toppled after her, his hand found hers and he clenched around it, gaze snapping up as his other hand wrapped around the edge of what had once been catwalk. Giving a heave, he easily swung Luna back up beside him, Pelna waiting on the edge with a panicked look to help them up.

Their victory was short lived, the Daemon that had pursued them through the hallways reappearing to make life hell. Nyx didn't know how it happened, so focused as he was on keeping the princess safe.

One moment, Pelna stood at his side, daggers drawn and stature strong. The next, the spot beside him was empty, a bloodcurdling scream ringing in his ears as Pelna was flung bodily away from them, the gaping hole blown in the side of the ship providing the Daemon the perfect place to throw his comrade.

Lunging forwards, Nyx could only watch in horror as Pelna was sucked out into the unlimited expanse of space.

"PELNA!"

* * *

Pelna woke up with a gasp, the smell of smoke filling his senses as he drew in a deep mouthful of air, only to cough as his lungs harshly rejected the oxygen. Wheezing as he rolled over onto his side, the glaive squinted upwards, eyes finding clear blue sky and white, puffy clouds.

Finally able to catch his breath, he brought a hand to his chest, evaluation his injuries as best he could. Nothing felt broken, but he would definitely have bruises sooner rather than later. He frowned as he sat up, wincing when his back complained loudly to the movement, and reached for the blade still embedded in the ground beside him.

The Nifflehiem ships were nowhere within his line of sight, the cliffs rising up on his north blocking his view of Insomnia. Pulling himself to his feet, he turned towards the citadel, adjusting his grip on his blade as he took a few steps forwards. There were eighteen miles between him and Insomnia, but he couldn't afford to walk back, he would have to warp.

Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself before drawing his arm back, fixing his grip, and throwing the kurika with as much force as he could muster.

The intense nausea he was expecting didn't come as he watched his kurika land on the ground a good distance in front of him. He could only stare at the blade in shock for a few moments; this had never happened before, it would never happen. Not unless the King died.

Shock flashed through his eyes, realization hitting him with as much force as his fall from the Nifflehiem ships. King Regis was dead, and if the King had fallen, so too had Insomnia.

* * *

Night had fallen by the time Pelna reached the citadel, the sun having long since sunk beyond the horizon. He was worn to the bone, a deep exhaustion that drilled deep into his being. Insomia had been shining like a torch for nigh on three hours now, guiding him forwards even as the daylight slipped out from under him.

Nifflehiem ships hovered around the citadel, the hulking shapes of Daemons outlined by the fires burning within the city. Rubble was strewn everywhere, destruction engulfing the whole of the beautiful city he had come to call home. There was no resistance to his entry, the Niffs hadn't established a presence in the South Gate as of yet, and Pelna waltzed right through the front.

As he travelled further into the city, however, he couldn't help but feel a deep, sharp sense of dread enter his chest. Insomnia had been a symbol to the people of Lucis, a sign of strength, courage, hope. And now, now it was gone, crushed beneath Nifflehiem's iron fist.

Pelna cursed as his footing slipped on a pile of rubble, his body crashing into debris as he tumbled down the steep slope and into a deep depression in what had once been road. Picking himself up with a dissatisfied sound, Pelna brushed the dust off his coat before taking a moment to look around, his eyes catching on the glint of light reflecting off something.

Curiosity peaked, he slowly approached the shard of what he now recognized to be armor, shock rippling through his frame as his mind began to register what he was seeing. General Glauca, the heathen general who had plagued the Kingsglaive time and time again, lay before him, half buried in rubble with Magitek armor chopped and warped. Half of the armor that would have covered his face was all but blown off, revealing the familiar face of Captain Drautos underneath. The man they had trusted.

But that wasn't what horrified Pelna the most; what twisted his insides in a knot of dread was seeing the familiar form of Nyx Ulric splayed limply on the ground beside Glauca.

Moving forwards quickly, Pelna knelt beside Nyx, eyes widening in shock at the condition the young glaive was in. His left arm was bare of a sleeve, the skin mangled and burned so badly it took most of Pelna's strength to quash down the nausea that threatened to rise in his gut. Soft, wheezing breaths escaped the younger glaive's lips, a grimace painted across his face, though at least that meant he was alive.

But his pained expression brought Pelna's attention to bare on his face, and he could only stare at the marks seared over the left side of his friend's face; it was as though the glowing marks prompted by using the King's Magic had been burned into the skin, deep, ashen looking marks that were painful to look at, let alone actually feel covering Nyx's cheek.

Reaching out a hand, Pelna gently shook Nyx's shoulder, hoping against hope that the younger man would regain consciousness. Nyx responded immediately, grey eyes snapping open as a pained gasp broke free of his chest. His right hand clawed at the ground, agony etched into every line on his face as he gritted his teeth and rode out the waves of fire burning through his body.

All of a sudden he went limp, eyes still open but body lax. Slowly, his eyes moved over to Pelna's face, confusion, then relief passing through his gaze.

"Pelna," His voice vaguely resembled the sound of sandpaper being run over wood, a grimace passing over his face at the apparent pain speaking caused, "You fell…"

It was clear he was not completely lucid, a foggy haze settled over his eyes as his breath hitched with every inhale. Pelna shook his head, raking his gaze downwards and silently cursing when he saw the twin holes blown in Nyx's jacket, red staining the material of what was left of Nyx's uniform.

"You know me, a little fall isn't gonna stop me." He replied to Nyx's words, getting one leg under him as he ran through his options. They couldn't stay here, not with Niffs bound to start looking for survivors and Nyx in the state he was. They could try and find somewhere to hunker down in the city, maybe in the ruins of a building or something, but then they would run the risk of getting caught, and he had no supplies to speak of with which to treat Nyx's wounds.

The answer came to him as he was ripping a strip of cloth off the purple ribbons that were somehow still attached to the shoulder of Nyx's uniform, the strip intended as a makeshift bandage for the bullet wounds in Nyx's abdomen.

The old cave would be the perfect place.

Smiling, if somewhat grimly, Pelna moved over and pressed the cloth down on the gunshot-wounds; hard. It was cruel, and it made his stomach churn to do it, but Nyx needed the shot of adrenaline caused by the pain if they were going to make it out of the city to the safety of the cave.

Nyx let out a howl, his back arching as he tried to escape Pelna's ministrations. The elder glaive let him roll away, watching cautiously as Nyx stumbled to his feet, bent over at the waist and listing to one side, but upright.  
"What the hell, Pelna!" He gasped out, grey eyes clearer now than they had been in the whole time he was awake.

Pelna sighed and pushed himself to his feet, wrapping the cloth around his hand as he moved over to touch the younger glaive's shoulder, "Sorry, but you're gonna need the adrenaline boost if we want to get out of here." He explained.

Nyx gasped out another breath, managing to lift his head high enough to give Pelna a look that ranged somewhere between desperation and hope, "And go where, Pelna? There's nothing left here."

The elder man shook his head, watching Nyx carefully as he swayed where he stood, a slight tremble making itself evident in his stance. "I know a place outside the city. Somewhere safe for us to hole up. I hid some supplies there ages ago, in case something ever happened."

Nyx managed a pained huff at that, straightening his body out slightly. "Guess you got the gift of foresight, huh."

Pelna managed a rueful smile before he started looking around the area, trying to pick a path they could take that wouldn't be too difficult for Nyx. Said glaive stayed quiet for a few moments before he let out a breath and lifted his head again, "Okay, let's go. There's nothing else we can do here."

Pelna nodded and turned towards him, "Are you sure you can walk?" He asked, hand hovering just above Nyx's shoulder.

Nyx nodded,a determined set to his jaw as he straightened himself into a taller position, albeit with one arm pressed to his abdomen, "Yea. I'd kinda like to get the hell outta this city."

Pelna pursed his lips, but didn't argue, instead turning towards the only pathway through the rubble he could see that Nyx would be able to manage.

"Alright. Let's get out of here."


	2. 2 Wounds Of The Weary

**Disclaimer: We do not own Kingsglaive, FFXV, or any of the SquareEnix Characters. If we did, Crowe, Nyx, and Pelna would have lived. Nyx would also be happily married to Luna. But we don't own them so, we just have heck of a fun time writing them.**

 **A/N: Hello! Welcome to Chapter two~ This was written by the combined efforts of Truthy and I and we are very proud of this bad boy here. So, sit back, relax, enjoy and leave a review! Have fun my hatchlings!**

Chapter Two

Wounds Of The Weary

Nyx didn't know how long they walked for, nor where they were even going. Each step he took sent a ripple effect of pain over his body, his wrenched knee shaking every time he put any weight on it, threatening to buckle underneath him. Pelna walked just a few meters ahead of him, and Nyx could feel more than see every time he glanced back to check up on the younger glaive.

Faint whispers still circled through his head, the last vestiges of the Lucii's power throwing him off balance with brief moments of light-headedness, though, he supposed, those could have been something to do with blood loss. It was strange; he felt distanced, detached almost, like he was watching someone else live his life for him.

Pelna's voice broke him from his thoughts with a jerk, a grimace passing over his face as he was forced back to the reality of his aching, exhausted body. The older glaive had stopped, looking back at him with a concerned frown, making Nyx sigh softly as he limped up to stand beside him, "I'm fine," he muttered, shifting his weight onto his left leg, "How much further?"

Pelna looked anything but convinced, one eyebrow rising at Nyx's choice of words before he shook his head and gestures towards a small rise in the terrain. Nyx realised with no small amount of surprise that they were no longer inside the burning city, the soft light illuminating their path coming from the large moon hovering above them rather than the insatiable fires burning through Insomnia.

"The entrance to the tunnels is just through there," Pelna informed him, still not moving as he watched Nyx closely, as though afraid he might just drop on the spot. In all honesty, Nyx was a little afraid of the same thing. His body was tired, incredibly sore and beaten to a pulp, his arm and abdomen constant, sharp pains while his knee complained whenever he let the barest weight onto it. But more than his physical pains, he was mentally exhausted, he didn't even have the energy to think clearly. He felt numb, in a way, like he had been disconnected from the rest of the world. His senses were dulled, dampened down in such a way that things he knew should be different, more acute, were a fuzzy haze that passed him by unnoticed.

Sighing softly, he forced his legs to start moving forwards again, hobbling towards the entrance to Pelna's safe place and waving his uninjured arm at the man, "Let's go then." He said.

They walked in silence for some time, Pelna moving back into the lead to guide Nyx down the surprisingly smooth tunnels, cracks in the roof providing light from the bright moon above ground. Nyx could feel himself lagging as they walked on, his head starting to feel more and more fuzzy before, with a soft groan, he sank to his knees.

His left arm wrapped protectively around his middle, pain flaring through his whole abdomen unforgivingly, while his right hand splayed against the wall of the tunnel. His shoulders shook slightly as he tried to regain his breathing, but it was incredibly hard to draw in air when the slightest movement made his stomach burn.

He was distantly aware of Pelna moving back to his side, a hand being placed on his forehead while he was otherwise engaged, and would not bat Pelna away.

"I knew it. You've got a fever. Come on, Nyx. Just let me help you." The elder glaive pleaded, his voice coming to Nyx like he was underwater When he opened his eyes - and when had he closed them anyway? - everything looked fuzzy, tilted to one side too.

"I'm fine," He rasped at length, managing to push himself back to his feet with a surge of strength he wasn't quite sure he had, though he swayed unsteadily, his knee threatening to give out at any moment while his head swam painfully. "We need to keep moving."

He watched Pelna shake his head, an expression of exasperation flashing across his face as he reached out and took Nyx's right arm, pulling it over his shoulder and placing his other hand at Nyx's waist. It took a great amount of effort not to just let himself collapse on the elder glaive, his legs shaking badly as he fought to keep himself upright.

"Come on, hero, lean on me." Pelna murmured, and though he had intended to hold himself, Nyx found his weight slowly drifting onto the man supporting him, his exhausted body relishing the reprieve.

"Fine," Pelna repeated thoughtfully, a little bit of a smile tugging at his lips as Nyx huffed in his general direction, focusing on dragging his aching body along beside Pelna, "We are removing the word 'Fine' from your vocabulary."

* * *

By the time they reached the cave, Pelna was carrying more of Nyx than Nyx was. The young glaive had lasted nearly the whole way to the safe place, but his body had just not been able to take the last trek of the journey. He was still vaguely conscious, a few murmured replies leaving his lips as Pelna kept up a steady stream of nonsensical chatter, both to ground Nyx in the real world, and to keep himself from worrying to death.

It was clear how badly Nyx was hurting, and Pelna could only pray the supplies he had hidden away where still intact and unspoiled. Unless his injuries were treated effectively and quickly, Nyx could well die.

With that thought in mind, Pelna pushed himself to move a little faster, carrying Nyx with him, and as they moved around a large bulge in the tunnel walls, they finally emerged in the large, cavernous area he had found all those months ago.

It wasn't much, a small bed nestled in the corner of the room underneath a canvas cover and a fire pit constructed out of the cave's own stones, but it would do. Moving swiftly, Pelna hauled back the canvas with one hand while the other kept Nyx upright and leaning against him.

A flash of a smile arced across Pelna's face when he saw the two large bags settled atop the bed, the bags looking like they had hardly been touched by anything, and he quickly there then to the floor before focusing on getting Nyx settled on the bed.

That mission accomplished, he turned and opened the smaller of the two bags, upending its contents on the cave floor and quickly spreading out the various medical supplies. Finding what he needed, he turned back to Nyx and took a breath, placing a hand on the younger's shoulder, "This may hurt a little," he muttered.

He was silent as he set to work on Nyx's arm, peeling off the burned dead skin, and smothering the entire appendage with copious amounts of burn salve before wrapping bandages around it snuggly. When he was done, Nyx's face had relaxed somewhat from the pained grimace it had previously been, the analgesic effects of the burn salve working it's magic.

Blowing out a slight breath as he got a proper look at Nyx's abdomen, Pelna winced at the amount of red staining the mostly intact fabric of Nyx's coat. Leaning over, he gingerly peeled the coat back, wincing when Nyx made a small, pained sound. A grimace passed over the elder glaive's face when he saw the damage underneath the coat, letting it back down as he started working on the numerous buttons, glad Nyx never did them all up as his fingers fought with the stubbornly stuck catches.

Pushing the coat back, he apologized under his breath before digging out his smallest knife and cleanly splitting Nyx's shirt down the middle, pushing the edges out of the way to get a good look at the two bullet wounds in the younger man's lower abdomen. Blood pooled around the wounds, trailing down Nyx's side and coating the top of his pants in a thick, crusty layer of half-dried crimson. Steeling himself, Pelna quickly spun and pushed aside the rolls of bandage and gaze he would need later before grabbing a small bottle of disinfectant, eternally grateful he had found this place and hidden these supplies months back.

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed a packet of gauze as well, ripping it open with his teeth and pulling out a fairly large wad before he started trying to mop up some of the blood around the wounds, wincing when Nyx let out short, pained gasps.

Unscrewing the cap on the bottle of disinfectant, he cast a look at Nyx's face and bit his lip, "Sorry buddy." He whispered before tipping the stinging concoction over the wounds.

Nyx's whole body tensed violently, the younger glaive making a small grunt as his hands scrambled for something to hold onto to prevent from crying out in pain. Pelna winced at the obvious pain Nyx was in before he quickly took a look at the bullet wounds, Luckily, the bullet's themselves were absent, how he didn't know, but at least it meant he didn't have to cause his fellow glaive more pain by trying to dig them out.

As he set to work methodically stitching up the wounds, he noted that Nyx had suddenly gone quiet, looking up to see the younger man's eyes were closed, his face lax. That was good, it meant he could start to rest and heal, though Pelna would have liked to get some painkillers into the other before he dropped off. Once he was finished stitching the twin wounds in Nyx's abdomen, he set to work cleaning the glaive's abdomen of the blood that had dried and pooled there so the wounds would heal without risk of infection.

After what seemed liked forever Pelna sighed and tied off the bandage he had wrapped securely around the wounds. A pile of bloodied gauze sat by his side as he sat back on his legs, stretching his back out from being bent over for so long. Glancing over at Nyx, he smiled slightly to see he was still resting, his face settled in a blank, restive expression.

The burns seared into his skin still troubled Pelna, their likeness to the marks that -had, he reminded himself grimly- flickered under the skin whenever they used the King's magic was too close for him to ignore. He didn't know what the heck had happened to Nyx, or even what had gone down in the citadel before he returned.

The King was dead, how could that even be possible? All these years he had held strong, a symbol of strength and hope to his people. But now, just when it seemed like this blasted war might finally be over, Nifflehiem had destroyed everything. It all seemed just a little unreal, how quickly everything they had been fighting for had been swept away. They might as well have not fought at all, for all the good it did.

Sighing harshly to himself, Pelna gathered his feet under him and stood, moving over to the bigger bag and opening the top of it to pull out a small canteen of water, before moving back over to the bed. He hated to do it, but he needed Nyx to wake back you, drink something, and shift under the blankets on the small bed. The night would soon be even colder than it already was, and catching cold would hardly help Nyx recover.

"Nyx, come on and wake up buddy." Pelna said as he slapped the younger glaive's face gently. Nyx grunted softly in reply, his head lolling to the side as his eyes flickered before slowly sliding half-open. He watched the elder Glaive in silence for a while before he cleared his throat uncomfortably,

"..Thought you were dead.." He murmured, eyes never once leaving his friend's face. Pelna smiled sadly, laying a hand on his friend's forehead.

"So did I. But I'm here now, I'm alive and so are you." He reassured, slipping one hand behind Nyx's shoulders and gently levering him into a sitting position. "I need you to help me out a little bit here, buddy."

Nyx frowned, whether the expression was caused by pain or confusion, he couldn't tell, but he nodded after a moment, seeming to gather his wits about him for whatever Pelna needed.

It was somewhat awkward, but by their combined efforts Pelna managed to get Nyx settled under the blankets on the bed, pain smeared across the younger glaive's face as a result. Pelna quickly retrieved the canteen he had removed from the supplies and dug out a small bottle of painkillers, frowning when he saw there weren't many others in the mix of medical supplies he had acquired.

Moving over to Nyx's side, he pressed two of the painkillers into the glaive's hand, offering the canteen after Nyx quickly tossed the pills back. Taking the water with a grateful look, Nyx drank a fair amount before handing the canteen back and relaxing back into the bed.

"Thanks." He murmured, eyes flickering threateningly. Pelna merely smiled, taking a sip from the canteen before screwing the cap back on.

"Just get some rest, hero, you got people waiting for you." He smirked.

Nyx grinned lucidly, managing a quiet whisper before he submitted to the sleep that was fogging his mind.

"I'm worth the wait."


	3. 3 Things We Lost In The Fire

**A/N: Hello, Hatchlings~ Welcome to part 3 of beating up Nyx~ We hope you have enjoyed everything so far and that this will be no different. So sit back, relax, enjoy, and leave a review!**

 **~Cheskit**

 **Disclaimer: Once again, Truthy and I do not own SquareEnix or any of their characters. We do enjoy writing them though**.

 **Chapter Three**

 **Things We Lost In The Fire**

Pelna stayed by Nyx's side while he slept, seated upon the hard ground beside the single bed. It was a little chilly, but the one blanket he had stashed away was already covering Nyx, and the younger man needed the warmth more than Pelna did. He did periodic sweeps of the tunnels leading to and from the cave, never going more than fifty meters away from Nyx, but listening closely for the echoes of any Niffs that might have stumbled upon their hideout.

Walking back over to the bed after one of these sweeps, Pelna laid a hand on Nyx's forehead, frowning slightly at the heat he could feel radiating off the man. He didn't know if it was the injuries he had sustained, or something else entirely, but it was obvious Nyx wasn't going to be fit for travel any time soon.

Sighing softly, he knelt down to check the wrappings on the younger man's burned arm, looking up at Nyx's peaceful face with a sad smile, "Always gotta save everyone, don't you? Could save yourself for once."

"You...can talk." A soft, hoarse voice replied unexpectedly, light grey eyes watching Pelna dazedly.

Pleasant surprise flashed through Pelna's eyes; he had not expected Nyx to wake so soon, the meds should have been enough to knock him out for a few hours, at least. But, Pelna thought wryly, Nyx was Nyx, the man that exceeded expectations at every turn.

"Yes I can talk, I have a mouth." He retorted with a small grin.

Nyx snorted, wincing when the action pulled at his sore stomach, and rolled his eyes a little, "I hadn't noticed. I thought that was a trash can." He smiled.

Pelna chuffed, of course Nyx had enough energy to be a brat. It was a good sign though, it meant that he was beginning to recover and heal, even so soon after having sustained his injuries. Nyx truly was a man of miracles.

"Still a little chocobo turd aren't you?" Pelna said, his eyes reflecting his amusement clearly as he shook his head, "Go back to sleep Nyx, you need rest."

Nyx grinned at the accusation, his eyes falling closed again before Pelna could even get the second sentence out. He still managed to worry though. "You need rest...too." He murmured, fighting against the urge to fall back into the safe little nest of sleep.

Pelna chuckled, of course, even seriously injured, Nyx would worry more about others than his own self. Something that had worried Pelna and the other glaive's Nyx had befriended constantly in their years of knowing the man.

"I'll get some sleep when you do." He negotiated, watching as Nyx struggled against his own tiredness.

"Promise?" Nyx pressed, eyes never leaving the elder glaive's face, an earnest expression reflected on his tired, dirty face.

Pelna smiled softly, blue eyes looking into grey steadily as he replied, "Yeah, I promise buddy."

Nyx nodded before abruptly going limp, his head lolling to the side as his breathing evened out to a deep, peaceful beat. Pelna smiled down at the younger man, shaking his head slightly at the short conversation, before settling down to get some rest, as promised.

* * *

The next time Nyx woke, it was to the slow, steady drip of water. Cracking open an eye, the young Glaive winced at the light streaming into the cave via a crack in the roof, which, he realised after a moment, was also the source of the dripping noise.

Casting his gaze around the small cavern, he frowned slightly when he saw nothing but dark grey walls, concern spiking in his mind for the well-being of his friend. That thought in mind, the glaive attempted to sit up, gasping in pain when his arm, abdomen and head all protested at once. Cradling his tightly bandaged arm to his chest, Nyx bent forwards over his legs, a few mumbled curses slipping through his teeth as he rode out the waves of agony and wished desperately for something to kill the pain.

"Hey, hey easy... Easy buddy" Pelna's voice was suddenly at his ear, one hand closing around his elbow and another at his shoulder as he was gently lowered back down onto the bed.

"Take it easy and don't move, what did I say about resting?" Pelna scolded as he turned and pulled a small bag out from underneath the bed, digging around in it with a slightly exasperated expression.

Nyx blinked rapidly, the change in position throwing him off as he stared up at Pelna. "You...you were gone." He explained, eyes scanning up and down Pelna's frame to check for injury, "I thought something might have happened."

Pelna shook his head, pulling a small bottle from the pack with a decisive yank and turning back to place a hand on Nyx's forehead, a displeased frown working it's way across his brow before he spoke.

"I was out checking the perimeter." He revealed, unscrewing the cap off the bottle and shaking two white pills into his hand. Nyx leant back into the bed, closing his eyes for a few moments to regain his breathing, his stomach and arm now throbbing dully.

Forcing his eyes back open when he heard Pelna's footsteps moving away from the bed, he watched as the elder glaive moved to the large bag settled near the empty firepit, pulling a canteen out of the top and beginning to hunt around inside for something else.

Letting out a soft sigh, Nyx turned his gaze to the roof, letting his mind go blank for a what seemed like only a few seconds, but must have been more, as Pelna's face suddenly appeared in his line of vision. A small smirk arced across the elder man's face before he leaned back, one hand snaking under Nyx's shoulders to lift him up into a somewhat sitting position, much and all as Nyx would have much prefered to do it himself.

Only grinning at the foul look sent his way, Pelna moved back a step to retrieve the canteen, two ration bars, and painkillers he had retrieved, dumping them in Nyx's lap with a flourish. "Bon apatite. Take the pain med's first then eat up. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have to shove food down your throat."

Nyx snorted at the mental image, "I'd like to see you try." He murmured before grabbing the pills and popping them in his mouth, proceeding to swallow them dry with little effort; a testament to just how many times he'd done it. Ripping the packet off the first bar, he took a large bite, making a face at the bland flavour but eating it nonetheless.

The two sat in silence for a while, Pelna gazing off into the distance while Nyx's own thoughts ran rampant. It was midday now, if the light streaming through the crack in the roof was anything to go by, and he could not help but wonder what the light of day would reveal outside. His mind was inevitably drawn to Insomnia, the great city he had come to call home for the past three years, broken, burned and abandoned. It was a cruel, merciless twist of fate, a foul hand dealt by the gods, that all they had spent so long fighting for should be blown away so easily.

Sighing softly, Nyx finished off the second ration bar, settling back against the cave wall that acted as a headboard and turning his head to look at Pelna. "How long has it been?" He queried softly, one hand drifting to cover his stomach as a sharp twinge made him wince.

Pelna sighed, pulling back his sleeve to look at his watch, "Since the mission? Two days and six hours."

Though he had expected it, Nyx felt a slight feeling of surprise race over him, the fact that he had been out cold for over a day a little unnerving, especially given the only other time he had been in such a state, trapped in sleep for days. Shaking his head, he forced himself to focus on the present, absently fingering one of the ration bar wrappers.

"What do we have in the way of supplies?"

Pelna looked all too pleased with himself at that, leaning off to the side to point at the large bag in the middle of the cave, "We have enough rations to last us at least two weeks," He said, a soft laugh escaping Nyx at the grin twitching at the edge of his lips before his expression turned all too serious, "I wouldn't trust it though. The longer we stay here the more likely we are to be found. As soon as your wounds heal up enough for us to travel, I want to head out. There's a village about thirty miles to the east, I'm hoping some of the glaive might have made their way there too."

Nyx nodded immediately, shifting in an attempt to get comfortable and smothering the grimace the action caused. "I can move whenever you're ready." He said, sounding a lot more confident than he felt. In truth, he didn't know how much more punishment he could take; the Niffs, Luche and then Glauca all wreaking havoc on his poor body, while the Luciai had a fun time playing with his immune system. He wasn't sure why they hadn't just taken his life, to be honest, but he wasn't going to complain for the continued existence of himself and the people he cared about.

Except Crowe, an evil little voice in the back of his mind prompted without warning, the image of her cold, lifeless face flashing before his eyes and making him choke on the water he had been sipping. It was sudden, the feeling of being crushed under an enormous amount of pressure rising from nothing to quash him underneath it.

He had never had a chance to grieve for the sister he had lost. There had never been time. But now he found himself with nothing but time, and everything he had lostl came crashing down on him like rain.

It was like a recorder stuck playing the same old song over again. First Galahd and Selena, now Insomnia and Crowe. How many times would Nifflehiem rip his heart out and stamp upon it?

Nyx found himself with an arm wrapped around his shoulders, a steady presence at his side,"Don't be afraid to mourn, Nyx. There is never shame in mourning for family." Pelna murmured, the words striking him more deeply than he felt they should have.

Nyx had never been one to cry, the day he set foot within Insomnia he had sworn to himself that he wouldn't cry again, after days of sobbing himself to sleep, mourning the loss of his home, his family, and a large quantity of his friends, to Nifflehiem. He had held true to that oath for almost three years now, but, it was too much. The repeat of losing everything was too much for his frazzled emotions to bare, and with a harsh sob that tore at his abdomen, he collapsed against Pelna.

Steady arms wrapped around his shoulders, holding him in a loose, yet comforting embrace as he bawled his eyes out, ashamed but at the same time, eternally grateful for the release of pressure, like the removal of a dam.

For years he had held it in, forbidden himself from mourning the lose of every comrade, every brother and sister he had gained the day he joined the glaive. He had kept himself in check for so long now, sworn to hold strong, keep himself together, intact. All along he had wondered whether the only reason he refused to crack, even a little, was because he was afraid that once his shield broke, he would never be able to repair it again. It didn't matter now, though, nothing really mattered at that moment, all he knew was that it hurt, a deep, searing pain that burned him to his core.

Slowly, the shaking in the young glaive's shoulder began to fade, the head buried on Pelna's shoulder turning slightly, voice muffled by fabric and a little armour when he eventually found the strength to speak, shame colouring his cheeks, but the feeling of relief, and absolute trust he had in Pelna for allowing him this reprieve, clear to see.

"...Thank you..." It was barely a whisper, but it was heartfelt, the glaive's voice showing gratitude as well as exhaustion. He made no move to shift back onto the bed, merely leaning against Pelna, letting himself doze in the comfort of someone watching over him. Distantly, he registered slight movement from the man who had now become his pillow, a slight twinge racing through his middle as he was shifted into a slightly more comfortable position, before blessed warmth spread over him, and his last hold on consciousness slowly slipped away from under him.

Held close to the body of a man he had trusted with his life on more than one occasion, and who's life he cherished as one of those who had gotten oh-so close to his heart, Nyx slipped into a deep, peaceful sleep for the first time in years.


	4. 4 That Feeling Of Uselessness

**Hello hatchlings, This chapter is more or less a time filler and as such we had the opportunity to add in a character. Of which is my Lovely Timo Lyall. Who we created as a glaive to add in some… third person views of her side of the Kingsglaive in this whole thing to help with bridging gaps. Hope you enjoy my sassy little troll child! Now on with the beating up of Nyx brought to you by my mind and Truthy's beautiful writing. Cheskit out~**  
 **Disclaimer: Once again, we do not own Kingsglaive, FFXV, or any of the lovely things associated with it. We are simply messing around with the lovely characters SquareEnix has given us.**

 **Chapter Four**

 **That Feeling Of Uselessness**

If there was one thing Timo Lyall was tired of, it was walking. Until only a couple of days ago, she had never realised quite how much she hated the snail's pace to which her movements had been restricted.

The Fall of Insomnia had meant many things, but most importantly, to the Kingsglaive at least, it meant a cease to any and all magical abilities granted by their connection to the King. Which, Timo lamented, meant no warping, and no campfires.

Trudging down the side of the empty highway, the bag thrown over her shoulder banging on her hip with every stride, Timo glared fiercely into the harsh sunlight blinding her, the early morning rays far too bright for her liking. The heat beating down on her neck burning as she trudged on. Her hood, that she would use to shield her head and neck from the sun's scorching rays, had been destroyed in the battle on the Nifflehiem warships to rescue Princess Lunafreya.

Timo frowned at that thought, she hadn't seen Nyx, Pelna, or even the princess since the ships went down, though she hadn't really seen any of her fellow glaives since witnessing Tredd's betrayel on the warships

Even now, thinking about how Sonitus, Tredd, and more of her brothers had betrayed the glaive, the city, the king. All the people they had sworn to protect. It hurt like hell.

Timo cursed as she was ripped out of her thoughts when her foot snagged on an unseen uprise in the concrete protruding from the ground, her hands burning as she threw them out to catch herself and received palms full of stone and thin gashes for her troubles.

Letting out a soft sigh, she straightened back up, brushing her stinging hands on her pants and ignoring the pain. She had had worse, and she knew that it would be moments like these when she would really, really miss warping.

"You know Lucii? You're all jackasses. You couldn't just leave us with a little bit of magic could you? You just have to be selfish jerks and take everything for yourselves." Timo shook her head frustratedly, glaring up at the obstinately blue sky, and readjusted her pack, mentally running a tally as she did so. She was out of food, her water reserves were low and needed to be refilled, and she was at least three days away from the next town. Awesome.

The luck of the glaives seemed to have taken a large turn for the worse lately, and she could only hope that it wouldn't last too long, or there might not be any glaives left. Drawing in a deep breath, Timo looked on down the long, abandoned highway, the town she was moving towards only a faint dot in the distance.

Letting her breath back out again, she started walking, tired legs moving on autopilot while she tried to keep her bored mind from running rampant,

"For hearth and home."

* * *

 _The towering forms of the Lucii hovered above him, their shimmering blue flames too bright on his eyes. He raised his gaze to them none the less, squinting as their light blinded him. They did not speak, and when he tried to, he found his voice was gone, little more than a gasp leaving his lips._

 _His arm burned with their fire, but there were no flames to be seen, only the pain, the burning sensation that raced through his arm and down his spine, up his neck and into his face. He couldn't scream, his lungs refusing to take in air as he choked and gagged._

 _He blinked, and the next moment he was falling, flailing as his body hurtled through space, the landscape passing by in a blur of colors. His blade fell with him, just out of reach, but so tantalisingly close. If he could just reach it-_

 _"Nyx!"_

 _The voice that broke through his haze was completely unexpected, throwing him off balance and stumbling to his knees, his dead run broken. Looking around rapidly, he felt panic grow in his chest when he saw nothing but fire surrounding him. It was closing in on him, leaving him nowhere to run, and before he could even try and throw the blade gripped fiercely in his hands, the fire was upon him._

Nyx woke up screaming, his mind trapped inside the cruel nightmares it had created. Flailing against the arms wrapped around his torso, he let out a broken sob, agony piercing through the haze settled over his mind.

It burned in his stomach and his arm, leaving veins of pain to race up and down the side of his face. It burned with an intensity he had never felt before, scorching him to the core and leaving him shaking and weak.

The fight went out of him as soon as it had come, his strength draining away like water through a hose. He slumped against the warm body holding him upright, the fuzzy haze that had covered his vision with blue flames slowly fading away and letting him focus on the face hovering above him.

Wincing, he squinted at the sudden light that pierced through his skull, blinking several times before he managed to find his voice, though his throat felt decidedly like sandpaper, "Pelna?"

The elder man nodded, a relieved smile pulling at his lips as he gently helped Nyx lean back against the wall of the cave, "Yea, it's me. You alright?"

Nyx took a moment to consider the answer to that question, the overall exhaustion that hung over him like a dark cloud making thinking harder than it should have been. His body, as a whole, ached, though his abdomen was the sharpest pain, it was dulled, no doubt by the painkillers Pelna had most probably been feeding him in his fevered haze.

Frowning, he shook his head to clear the last of the fog the dream, nightmare, had left on his mind, before replying, "I've been better."

Pelna let out a soft chuff, sitting back on the edge of the bed as a small smile pulled at his lips, "No kidding. You had me worried there for a while." He said quietly, reaching for something under the bed and pulling out one of the two bags. Opening the top, he pulled out a canteen and two ration bars, tossing them into Nyx's lap as he put the bag away.

"Eat up, you need to keep your strength." He ordered, watching closely as Nyx took the canteen in slightly shaking hands and drank greedily from it, the blessedly cool water bringing relief to his parched throat.

Placing the water aside, he looked over at Pelna as he started tearing the wrapper of the first bar, wry curiosity on his lips.

"How long was I out?"

Pelna raised an eyebrow, leaning back on one hand and stretching a kink out of his neck, "You've been in and out for about three days now, I think. I've been keeping an eye out, but I'm pretty sure no one knows we're here. It's a pretty hard place to find."

Nyx nodded at that, his mind elsewhere as he mechanically chewed the tasteless bar. Roughly five days had passed since the Fall, time in which any number of things could have happened. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the princess, and Libertus. Whether that had made it out of the city intact was unknown to him; the last he had seen of them was when he prevented Glauca -Drautos, his mind helpfully reminded him- from attacking them as they escaped.

He could only hope that they were safe, by this time maybe even drawing closer to Altissia. He had no way to know for sure, but a feeling in his gut told him that Lunafreya would be alright. If nothing else, their time running from the Niffs through the city had taught him that Princess Lunafreya Nox Fleuret was tougher than she looked.

With a start, he realised Pelna was speaking, and he forced himself to focus back on the present and pay proper attention to the man who had been caring for him since the Fall.

"-so we'll need to stock up soon. If you think you can manage it, there's a small town about a day's walk from here, so we could maybe head there within the next few days and stock up on what we need." Pelna finished, looking over at the younger glaive as he did.

Nyx nodded quickly, bunching the empty ration bar wrappers in his hands, "I told you before, I can move whenever you're ready." He said, watching as Pelna shook his head and stood to move over to the fire pit, which, Nyx realised with something of a start, was burning merrily in the darkness.

It was somewhat unnerving to realise he hadn't even noticed that it was nighttime, the haze of the fever still clinging to the edges of his mind and dulling his normally sharp senses. Tossing another log on the fire, Pelna crouched down beside the flame, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to attain heat that made Nyx slightly guilty, as it appeared all the blankets they had were covering him.

"And I told you to rest up. Your wounds were serious, Nyx, and I'm not willing to risk getting them infected, or worse, opening them up again." He said, tone stern and completely serious.

Nyx sighed and dropped his head back against the wall of the cave, nodding even as he spoke. "I know that, I just feel useless, laying around doing nothing."

Pelna sighed, though the gesture was more fond than annoyed, and walked back over to grab the ration bar wrappers and toss them in the fire. "Yep, and you're going to keep on being useless until your wounds heal."

Nyx couldn't help but snort at the refreshing honesty in his friend's voice, shaking his head as he settled down into the bed. "Well then, if I'm going to be useless I may as well be entirely useless then, hm?" He smirked as he rested his head on his arms and closed his eyes.

As sleep began to grab ahold of him once more, he heard Pelna's soft, warm chuckle, before silence.


End file.
